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What I learned from reading Thankless in Death by J.D. Robb

Thankless in Death is number thirty-seven in a best selling series, obviously Robb is doing something right. This is not a cozy mystery (I checked it out from the library before my cozy research began) but it certainly taught me a few things.

First, I do not want to do gruesome, which is good because it’s not really done in cozies. All that blood and gore and insight into the twisted mind of a narcissistic sociopath was a bit more than I want to write.

Second, I love a kick ass heroine, but even more I like a kick ass couple. Eve and Roarke are pretty awesome alone but together they’re unstoppable. They have their weaknesses, but their strengths compliment each other.

Third, well developed side characters are important. I’ve read thirty-seven of these books and I look forward to seeing the side characters as much as the main ones. They need quirks and emotions and back-story. They’re almost as important as the main character so they require almost as much care and attention.

Even though the gore in the book was a shock to the senses after more milder cozies I learned a fair amount from Thankless in Death and have more goals to achieve I my own writing.